Mass Effect Chronicles : Voyages of a Sentinel
by CherryJanie
Summary: Raïzel grew up in the Alliance; her mother was a soldier and her father an engineer, she could have grown happy surrounded by both her parents and become yet another soldier, following her parents' footsteps. But the universe had other plans for her.
1. Chapter 1 Family Ties

**Family Ties**

Henry Crawford was a quiet man, always had been. Born in London in 2130, he developped very early in his life a taste for mechanics. He just loved engines, and robotics, and it turned out quite nicely for him; he soon became a respected engineer and made himself a little reputation: he was a reliable and patient man who worked brilliantly. So, naturally he was selected to work on the Arcturus Station back when they were building it. Henry loved it there; he could get his hands on the most beautiful, complex and top-of-the-line pieces of engineering anytime he wanted – which was pretty much all the time. That is where he belonged, and it felt like perfection come to life, like bliss. He could ask for nothing more.

Lea Ben-Aaron, on the other hand, was not so quiet. Born in Tel-Aviv in 2132, she was in fact a passionate and hot-tempered woman. She was also a fighter and wanted to show it. She enlisted in the Alliance navy as soon as she turned 18 and chose to specialize in hand-to-hand combat. She also trained in the Special Forces, because that was the most challenging option she could find at the time. The adrenaline rush in her veins? She loved it, she craved it, and everytime she was on shore-leave, she only wanted to get back on the field.

The humans soon found out that they were not alone on the universe, and not even the most advanced race in the galaxy. Far from it, actually. But how could they really believe for a second that they were? After the discovery of the Prothean data on Mars, they _had_ to suspect that there were other races out there, at least as much advanced and intelligent as themselves, if not far more. Well, if they did not, they sure learnt the truth the hard way! The First Contact War broke out. Not only were the aliens more advanced than the humans, but horribly so. Lea was deployed on Shanxi, and saw with her own eyes what the turians were capable of. And so was Henry, who had been reassigned to the SSV Agincourt after the completion of the Arcturus Station, Lea and Henry first met – briefly – on the ship. The humans hold off the turians for a while and with a certain degree of efficiency, but what would happen when the turians sent their reinforcements? What then? Fortunately for all humanity, some blokes called the Council prevented that from happening. And that is when humanity discovered the Citadel Council and the galactic laws they meant to enforce. And those had been established thousands of years earlier! Humanity was a newcomer, and a very young one. But they would learn. And someday they'd probably laugh at the misunderstanding that had almost destroyed humanity. But honestly, how on Earth were they supposed to know that it was strictly forbidden to reactivate dormant mass relays? They barely even knew what relays were at the time! Oh, well.

Lea fought bravely during the First Contact War – which the turians called the Relay 314 Incident. An "incident"! How arrogant can you be? – and she was promoted to Staff Lieutenant. She and Henry Crawford grew closer to each other some time after the war, during their following furlough. Henry Crawford. That was a man whom she never thought she could fancy. Nor be fancied by! But they fell in love. That is the beauty of the universe; its variety. Not just in DNAs and races and planets, but in characters and personalities too. They were like fire and water; two opposites inexorably attracted to each other. Of course they fell in love, how could they not? After a couple of years of relationship, they decided to settle down. But not on the Arcturus Station, they wanted more space, with real air, with actual sunlight to live under and perhaps to have children under. Even though they could spend weeks without seeing each other because of her being sent off somewhere in the galaxy and his being absorbed in some project or other. They lived in a cosy, if small, flat with a very nice view of the Thames, although it did not exactly run by their window, the tower was simply high enough, truth be told. But still, it was a pretty view, and thanks to the huge bay window, the sunlight coming through would bathe the living-room in white and shades of silver.

When Lea got pregnant, about 6 years after the war, something happened that neither her nor Henry had expected. What the physician said to the soon-to-be mother _had_ to be some sort of joke – maybe that was the dry British sense of humour she'd heard about? She was bewildered. How was it possible? She did remember one rescue mission, on Earth instead of in space, of a crashed starship that had been shipping element zero. Yes, the accident had happened in Seoul, one of her first assignments, she recalled it with clarity. The ship had contained a massive cargo of eezo, and it had gone crashing down on a city of billions of people. The media had explained a little after that what kind of effects eezo would have on pregnant women and young children, but Lea hadn't even had sex in months! And Henry hadn't entered her life yet, so how could this happen now? As it turned out, element zero was a tricky material, and still might have effects that nobody could suspect or anticipate. And her baby was now showing signs that it had been infected from within Lea's body. What could they do? They asked the doctor for guidance and he reassuringly replied that the Alliance was becoming more aware of the biotic potential and was coming up with solutions to channel and take care of the gifted children. Lea and Henry relaxed. The doctor talked to them about the Biotic Acclimitation and Temperance programme, but they still had time before making any decision about their child.

Had they known what the BAaT programme turned out to be, they might not have felt so relaxed. But it was fortunately closed before their daughter was even old enough to actually use her biotic abilities, and all the better.

Little Raïzel had a happy childhood, even though she was quite often forced to accompany her father when both her parents were sent on missions – or projects as far as her father was concerned – (her mother's postings were obviously too dangerous for a kid). She actually enjoyed those travels; her father would tell her about starships, and stars, and planets, and aliens, and it was all fascinating. Little Raïzel would dream at night about all of it. In those dreams she was travelling, aboard her own ship, the fastest frigate ever built, and she was beautiful (the ship, not Raïzel, she obviously didn't see herself in her dreams) and she was discovering new planets, new life forms, she was fighting against dangerous enemies and always ended up victorious. While awake, Raïzel wondered if she would one day see other stars, other planets, travelling on a ship indeed when she grew older. How fantastic would that be?

Little Raïzel did grow up, but before her dreams of commanding her own ship might come true, she started using her biotic abilities accidentally. She was still pretty young when they started to show, and accidents happened more and more often; the older she grew, the stronger her biotics became, and she could not control it, not even one bit, and she could not help it. Her so far happy childhood was turning into a difficult adolescence. Very difficult and painful. Her biotics would sometimes hurt; she could burn herself when a biotic burst detonated out of her hands, she could get some serious bruises, and the migraines were severe, and becoming part of her everyday life. And when she was not experiencing those migraines, she felt dizzy. Holding the hand of her worried dad, she went to consult a doctor who knew a great deal about eezo-affected children, and she told them that Raïzel needed to _eat_ a lot more: biotics were extremely protein-hungry and very draining. The migraines and the dizziness should disappear after a while, but Raïzel absolutely had to adjust her diet to her new biological needs. She also explained that Raïzel would soon have to go to a special facility in order to receive an implant and be trained according to her capabilities, so that she would manage to control them, instead of suffering them.

Raïzel found the idea of being "implanted" quite repulsive, but it seemed to be the normal and better way to go, or so the doctor said. But however she disapproved of the implant thingy, she wouldn't be given a choice, would she? She also positively disliked the idea of being sent away from home to go to an Alliance "special facility". What did that even mean? How could she leave? She clearly wasn't ready for this; she was 13! But then again, she would not have anything to say about that. She asked the doctor:

"Are there many facilities like that?"

"No. There were... attempts, but they didn't work out very well. However I hear they've built a whole station for gifted children, and there's an entire programme dedicated to biotics. And I must say, this one looks promising." The doctor smiled gently, and Raïzel found herself reassured a little.

"What's it called? Where is it?" asked her father.

"It's called the Jon Grisson Academy, and the programme for biotics is the Ascension Project, I think. They've built it in orbit over Elysium."

Raïzel knew of Elysium, her dad had told her stories about it, it was the great capital city that humanity had settled in the Skyllian Verge. They said that it was a beautiful colony.

"What _is_ this Ascension Project, exactly?" her father asked again.

"I don't have any details, it hasn't open yet, but they mean to help biotic children _and_ adults control their abilities for attack or defense, in a prospect of combat, and they also want to help them integrate into society, to make use of their gifts for greater good, as I understand. Or that's the idea at least, only time will tell whether they'll succeed or fail."

Raïzel's father remained silent for a moment and then stood up. He thanked the good doctor for her time and counsel. "Of course", she replied. And the father and his daughter left the surgery. On their way home, Henry Crawford asked his daughter what she thought of all this.

"I really don't know, dad. But I have to find a way to control this, don't I? And the best way, the only way to do that, may be to go to this Grissom Academy. But I don't want leave." And her eyes were stinging because of coming tears which she was trying very hard to hold back.

"We'll take the time to think this through, don't worry sweetheart, I won't send you away if you have no wish to go."

Raïzel held her father's hand tighter and wiped the tears off her face.

The decision whether to send Raïzel to the newly built Grissom Academy or not was postponed by the attack on Elysium, launched by pirates, slavers, and resentful batarians. Some combined – most of them – all of the above. Lea Crawford was deployed once more, and she had a bad feeling about this. Really bad.

She was part of the very first troops to be sent there and what she saw was brutal. Nightmarish pictures of people screaming and running in every directions, gunfire everywhere, civilians getting slaughtered, buildings being set ablaze in the dark blue sky of Elysium. The Marines took position, help up what barricades they could and tried to defend the colony. It was such a mess, a complete chaos; the batarians had come in force and numbers, they would overwhelm the humans if the Alliance didn't send the reinforcements they so desperately needed. They also needed to come up with a strategy to fight them off, or at least a way to survive until the reinforcements did arrive.

But the civilians were terrorized. The Marines rallied those who had better self-control and kept on firing at the enemy. They sent a message to Alliance Command to hurry up with the reinforcements, of course they did, but they still had to wait; that hellish situation lasted for two more days. Two days of fire, of blood, of screams, of chaos, of constant fighting, of death. But Lea had been through the occupation of Shanxi, she could survive this! She was sure that she had the nerves to bear this hell; she was in the Special Forces for crying out loud!

But however strong she was, little by little, her resolve gave in, her nerves of steel melted, and she almost lost her mind.

Later on the extranet, they talked about the victory that had been the battle on Elysium, "The Skyllian Blitz" they called it. They went on and on about the brave civilians taking up arms to defend their home against the barbaric pirates and slavers, holding up admirably until the Alliance reinforcements arrived. The Skyllian Blitz was now and forever a symbol of humanity's resilience and courage. A beacon of light in the darkness of space. And it was all very fine.

But what about the soldiers who had been there from the _start_? Who had _sacrificed_ their lives to protect those panic-stricken civilians? What about those brave soldiers who weren't even mentioned on the extranet? A victory indeed. It did not come easily. Cetrainly not. Lea Crawford had lost too many people, friends, to the brutal assaults of the batarians. Those who hadn't taken a bullet between the eyes had either exploded because of a grenade, or been burnt to death by the pyro's flamers, others had simply succumbed to their bleeding wounds. And Lea couldn't not see them, couldn't stop seeing them dying and burning whether her eyes were closed or open. Her retina was marked forever with the images of the Blitz.

When she came back to her husband and daughter, she was not the same. She was like a broken doll whose heart had been torn out, then put back in, but upside down. She had always been passionate, a committed fighter, and now her passion was consuming her from the inside. What was she now? A broken and pathetic little thing, merely a deformed shadow of what she used to be.

She went to see an Alliance psychologist, of course; it was mandatory. But she didn't like what she was being told during those appointments, lying stupidly on that ridiculous leather couch which had seen too many bottoms and witnessed too many broken people. It was unbearable. Eventually, Lea stopped going, and started drinking instead. Obviously, that didn't help; she was changed even more. She became mean, even _cruel_. She had always been stubborn, tough, even bitchy, but never cruel, and certainly not to her beloved husband and dearest daughter. She loved them so much, she truly did, but she hurt them everyday with words like razorblades. However strong she had been before, the Blitz changed her, and that is why, in the year that followed the Blitz, Henry Crawford decided to send Raïzel to the Ascension Project and to leave his wife to move back onto the Arcturus Station, where a position as Chief Engineer was available.

When Lea Crawford came back to Earth, with both mental and physical injuries, her superiors gave her a position as instructor in one of the Alliance Formation centers for Special Forces recruits. Nevertheless, she was soon _kindly_ asked to take a leave of absence because of her drinking habit. She was a decorated Special Forces officer, so they couldn't, and wouldn't, fire her, they did advise her to go see someone to help her stop drinking and get back on her feet, for her own sake. But that did not happen before a long time.

Raïzel was sent off-planet, to the Jon Grissom Academy at the age of 14, she felt conflicted about her father's decision: her mother had indeed become impossible to live with – she had never beaten her, oh no! She didn't have to: words were her fists, and she would beat her everyday with cruel remarks and insults. However glad she was to be away from her mother, Raïzel was deeply disappointed with her dad for giving her up like that; she felt betrayed and abandonned. Of course, they had been talking about the Ascension Project for months before the Blitz, but still! She was angry at her mother for letting herself go that far down, and at her father for abandonning them both to their fate. While she was sitting in the Alliance shuttle that was taking her to the Grissom Academy, she started crying bitter tears, silently, away from the neighbouring passengers' notice.

When they walked out of the shuttle, Raïzel and the other new students – mostly kids like her – were welcome by the head director of the Academy, Professor Dominic Quintela, who gave them a short speech before letting them in the hands of two teachers who gave them a tour of the station. They visited some classrooms, laboratories, training rooms, librairies, they walked through the grand halls with fountains and statues standing in the middle and huge glass windows which opened onto gardens lit by an artificial sunlight, roofed by an artificial blue sky which mimicked nighttime during the appropriate hours. At the end of the tour, they were led into the dormitories, they were told to unpack and settle in, to change and put on their uniforms before going to the refectory to have dinner. The different classes would only begin a few days later, because the teachers needed to conduct interviews in order to determine what classes the students would then take. Raïzel was not in the mood to chat and make friends and therefore decided to shut herself away from the other students, and thought taking a shower was a good way to subtly avoid the embarrassment. She sat alone at the dinner table, and reflected gloomily on her current situation; away from home, away from dad, away from her comfort zone. The world she had known had been taken from her, and she was left with a bunch a strangers, in a much too grand and impressive station that didn't feel homey at all. She sighed and did not finish her meal, she walked back to the dorm, laid on her small bed and tried to sleep her a bad day off.

Raïzel remained isolated from her peers for some time, and had no desire to change that. She wasn't sure why exactly, but she didn't feel like befriending the other students. Maybe because she loved her parents so, she had felt deeply hurt when they had left, literally or metaphorically it did not matter, she was still very much aggrieved at them. And sometimes she was angry at herself for resenting her own parents for their faults. No one was perfect, she understood that, but why was _she_ paying the price for their mistake? And by that, she meant her mother in particular. Over time, she got accustomed to the fact that it was the way things were and that there was nothing she could do to solve it now.

One day at the Academy, between classes, some student came up to her and broke her solitude.

"Hi, name's Caroline, what's yours? You seem like the quiet kinda girl, but I'd like to get to know you, the girl was smiling at Raïzel, patiently.

"Raïzel. I haven't really felt like talking since I came here. It's nothing to do with you, though. It's just that... I really don't feel like it, is all."

"Well, we need to change that, don't we?" the girl's smile grew wider, revealing a set of white teeth, perfectly arranged. Caroline was a pretty girl, about 16 years old, taller than Raïzel by a good three inches, wore short brown hair and speaking with a Canadian accent. Raïzel's was a London accent, obviously.

Caroline kept on chatting, and Raïzel realized that she didn't mind it, she let herself get absorbed in that conversation which took her away from her usual dark thoughts. They found several common points of interest and eventually spend the rest of day talking between classes and getting to know each other. It was something quite new for Raïzel, for she didn't have many friends back on Earth, if at all. Some of her classmates had witnessed her biotic incidents, and had either grown afraid of her, or jealous, or their parents had insisted that they stopped hanging out with her. The words had spread and she had soon fallen into isolation. That was something she was very familiar with, but a friend? More than that, a friend who could understand her and accept her just as she was? _That_ was new. And she liked it. Raïzel and Caroline became close friends during the following weeks, and eventually, Raïzel opened herself to some other students from the Ascension Project, and even some students from the Engineering classes, since she had decided to train as a sentinel. Of course, she didn't appreciate all the other students, you just cannot like everyone, that is not sane. She was beginning to consider herself quite at home there, at the Grissom Academy, surrounded by people like her who understood her and did not judge her. And when her dad would call, because he did every week, she would tell him about her friends, about her classes, what she'd learnt, what she liked, and everything else, and Henry Crawford was genuinely pleased – and relieved – to see her daughter blooming day by day.

For a time, Raïzel tried to call her mother, determined to try and fix their relationship and save what could be saved, but finally gave up, after the repeated insults, always muttered half-drunk or worse. She simply could not take it anymore. It wasn't Raïzel's fault that she was different. It was nobody's fault, really. Humans weren't natural biotics like the asari and Raïzel were constantly reminded of that when her mother was on the comm. What did she call her that last time? Oh yes, "a freak of nature". Splendid. Yes, Raïzel was an anomaly, but there was nothing she could do to reverse it, nor did she wish to! Raïzel never tried to contact her mother again after that, she had had enough of that shit.

Without Raïzel's ever hearing of it, Lea Crawford finally made the decision to quit drinking. It took a lot of time just to make that decision, but now that she had, she was determined to change her bad habit once and for all. In fact, she hadn't been that much determined for years, but better late than never, right? Or at least, that's what they said. She went back to see her psychologist and swallowed hard as the doctor explained to her her own problems, pointed out her demons and her faults, one by one. After six months of therapy and sobriety, her superiors welcome her back to the Formation center, even though she still missed the adrenaline from the battlefield like crazy, she was surprised to find out that she actually liked teaching, and those little brats whom she was teaching stuff. She liked her job more and more each day, or did she merely find less and less things to complain about? At any rate, it was her job now, she might as well make the most of it. Plus, the injury she had got to the left arm during the war had never healed properly, which left her with very few options. She was strict with her recruits, never let anything slide, barely even let them rest! But they were grateful to her for the hardcore training: that was what they had signed up for! And she was pleased to see them improve.

And when Lea was home at the end of the day, she would see pictures and memories of what her life had been, of her daughter and her husband, all over the place. Oh God, she missed her so! She would try to call Raïzel everyday, but her calls never got through. Who could she blame but herself? She knew that she had fucked up, make no mistake, she knew it all too well. And everyday Lea wondered about her daughter's life at the Academy; was it as good as she had heard? Were they treating her daughter well? Was she happy there? Making friends, becoming an amazing biotic and an intelligent woman?

And one evening, it struck her. Right in the face. How _long_ had it been since Raïzel went away? How _long, exactly_? Was she still even there?! Lea was petrified. She realized that instant that years had passed while she had been drifting afloat on a derelict ship called Alcoholism, drifting through time, oblivious. Lea was stunned by her own carelessness. She tried to calm herself and think straight: Raïzel had been sent to the Ascension Project in 2177, the year after the Blitz. Four years had passed since then. _Four_ years! _Four bloody years_! Lea was angry now, shooting the table of the living-room with her bare foot. Four years! Raïzel had turned 18 already! Lea had forgotton four birthdays, and when was the last time she actually said something nice to her daughter? Probably some time before the Blitz. Lea felt sick all of a sudden, sick about herself, disgusted; she had stopped being a mother to Raïzel a long time before, and a _good_ one even longer before. She was disgusted with herself. And she smiled. Probably as disgusted as her daughter was with her. How ironic.

Lea turned on her omni-tool and tried to contact the Grissom Academy. She went through a couple of receptionists before she could receive some information about her daughter. She was told that Raïzel had left the Academy in May – which meant about two months earlier – to enlist in the Alliance, as did many kids from the Academy. Lea thanked the woman and decided to move to her own list of contacts, she was sure that someone, somewhere, would tell her where her daughter had signed up. After a few calls, Lea learnt that Raïzel was back in London, as a recruit, and what's more, a promising one. Raïzel was back in London, back home!

"Who is her instructor?" she asked.

"Lieutenant-Commander Campbell, ma'am" answered the male secretary.

"Johnathan Campbell?" Lea asked back, with a mix of surprise and hope in her voice.

"Yes ma'am. Are you acquainted with him?"

"Yes"

"Do you need his address or his number?" the young man asked politely.

"No thank you, no need. Thank you again. 'Evening."

"Good evening, ma'am."

Lea hung up. Her anger and her anxiety were gone, replaced by a little bit of relief. Campbell was a good man and a good soldier. And she realized that she could call _him_ to ask about her daughter, directly to him, her commanding officer. Would it be alright if she called him right now? She looked at the clock, it wasn't really late yet, she estimated that she could, so she did.

"Hello, who is... Oh! I be damned! Lea? Lea Ben-Aaron, that you?" he sounded genuinely pleased to see her.

"Yes, how are you old friend?"

"What? Since when are you so fucking polite?" he teased.

"Oh shut up." But she couldn't help but smile back at him. They had always been good friends, ever since they had both entered the Special Forces, however, their path had seperated when they had received their first respective assignements, and hadn't had much time to catch up, and sort of drifted apart. But it was good to see him again, an instructor! Imagine that! He had changed so much, and yet, somehow, not at all.

"I can't say time has been kind to you", she mused, "you look like an old man!"

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? You look like _shit,_ old hag!"

"Fuck you, dickhead." And they laughed again like the teenagers thay had once been. Thinking of this, Lea's mind went back on track.

"I have something to ask you, Johnathan.

"What is it?" he asked, taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his friend.

"I've been told that my daughter is one of your recruits. How is she?"

"Your daughter?" he sounded perplexed. "What don't you ask her yourself?"

"We... We uh... haven't been on speaking terms lately. For a while actually. Years." she admitted.

"I see." he paused. "What's her name? I would recall someone named 'Ben-Aaron' around here."

"Raïzel Crawford. Crawford's my husband's name, we're separated."

"Ah, yes. I thought she reminded me of someone I knew, now I understand why." he smiled. "Good kid, very promising, and a sentinel at that."

"She seem happy to you?" Lea was getting nervous as she asked the questions.

"Happy enough yes, 'was a bit reserved at first, didn't talk much, but she seems to be getting along just fine with the other newbies. The kids at the Grissom Academy grow close to each other as I understand, so it's not always easy to be separated. But she's alright I think. She's focused anyway, and a fast-learner."

"Thank you Johnathan. That's very good to hear." Lea was so relieved to hear the news.

"No problem, you call me if you want some 'updates' about your daughter, okay?"

He smiled a sympathetic smile, he seemed to know a thing or two about rock'n'roll family relationships. She thanked him and hung up.

Raïzel would be alright, now Lea had faith.


	2. Chapter 2 Graduating

Graduating

At the Grissom Academy, they had been working on developping new biotic implants, so when Raïzel was told that she should undergo the surgery if she wanted to stabilize her biotic abilities, she asked one of her professors if she could wait until the L4 were indeed ready.

"Well it depends, you'll have enlisted by the time they're finished, right?" asked professor Solomon.

"Well, yes. But I plan on applying for the Officer Candidate school, can I postpone the surgery until then?"

"I can't promise you anything, but you _will_ need to be implanted by the time you graduate from the Officer school, that much is certain, they will never let you embark on a ship without an implant. Let's hope the L4 will be available then."

In fact, Raïzel was soon to graduate from the Grissom Academy, and just like many of her fellow students she planned on enlisting in the Alliance. She had been in the Ascension Project for four years now, and she had reached the end of the sentinel training, she would soon turn 18 and the graduation ceremony was scheduled for May the 29th, exactly one month after her birthday. Many of her friends had gone through the surgery and had been implanted with the L3 version, only a few had wished to wait for the L4 like her, but most of the teachers did not approve of their choice, except for those who were actually working on the L4; "Of course you'd want to wait, the L4 are going to be so much better than the L3, they will allow you to use your biotics with greater precision and efficiency, I'd wait too if I were you" they would tell them, some would even wink at the students to show their support in a moment of complicity. Raïzel did not feel particularly at ease after professor Nimoy had winked at her. He was too old to wink at his students, and too weird : he was your typical mad scientist; with crazy eyes and shaggy hair, and with lots of creepy stains all over his lab coat and shabby jeans.

After they had had the surgery, the biotics of her friends had gained in precision, not so much in power or strength – because that was mostly due to the training itself and the individual affinity with dark energy – but the _precision_ of the biotic strikes, of the singularities or the warp bursts was amazing; Raïzel was quite envious. Caroline had decided to wait for the L4 at first, but eventually gave up; she had no desire to go into the Officer Candidate class, and therefore could not wait anymore. When Raïzel asked her why she didn't want to go to the Officer Candidate school, Caroline simply replied that it would be useless; biotics usually rose up in ranks much faster than any other soldier, she thought there was no need to speed up the process any further. Caroline would be a commanding officer in good time, she was sure of it, and besides; she had had enough of learning theories, sitting comfortably in a classroom. Raïzel shrugged; that was good enough a reason. she just did not share her friend's opinion.

"Well, I want to learn to command as fast as possible, I won't wait until I'm old to command my own ship."

"Yeah, that's always been a big dream of yours, I know." Caroline smiled. "Hey, maybe I'll serve on _your_ ship one day, who knows, if you actually manage to become captain" she teased.

"Oh I will, you may be sure of that, my friend. But I don't know if I'll put up with your insubordination," Raïzel grinned back. And they both laughed at the idea.

Raïzel spent her 18 birthday in a pleasant way; her father called, obviously, telling her that her present should arrive on the following day, and her friends threw a nice party for her as well, although not a very big or loud one – you just couldn't in the Academy, with the teachers always keeping an eye on the youngsters. Raïzel's mother did not call, but Raïzel did not expect her to; she hadn't called for the past three years, so why would she now?

The graduation ceremony soon followed, the students were all more or less excited, and the teachers more or less proud. While she was receiving her diploma, Raïzel looked back on the years she had spent in the Academy, the happy memories smiling back at her, the difficult moments pinching her but she shrugged those off easily; it was all part of the way and Raïzel did not regret anything that had happened here, not even the mistakes; they had helped her become a more mature person. Her fellow students had become her family and it was painfully sad to leave them, but they would keep in touch, and they would meet again. When came the time to board the shuttle that would take them all back to Earth, Raïzel and her friends were surprised to see that they owned very few things, they had not had the opportunity to wear anything else beside the uniform for years, and the clothes they had arrived in years earlier were obviously much too small now. It was a strange feeling : realizing that you owned nothing apart from your memories and the time that you had spent together in one place. Caroline and Raïzel then made a promise; they would call each other at least once a month and try to see each other whenever and wherever it be possible.

There were plenty of Alliance Formation centers across the planet, and when Raïzel was asked in which city she wanted to sign up, she said London. She wasn't sure why she had said London, it had been her home for years, but then the Grissom Academy had become her new home and a lot of things had changed. Her mother was most likely still in London, was this why she had said London? Doubtful, Raïzel hadn't heard from her mother in years, and she did not come back to Earth with the hope of receiving some news about her, so why London? She was silent for long while, thinking about this, trying to find a satisfying answer, but none came up. London was a beautiful city, it was her hometown, but then New York was beautiful as well. Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sidney, Moscow... she could have gone somewhere new, somewhere different, where she would have been a stranger. But no, instead, her mouth had said London. Well, at least she could help other recruits find their way into the city. How exciting. The formation center was situated near Stratford, East of London. Raïzel was not much acquainted with the neighbourhood; she had grown up in Chiswick, wich was pretty much on the other side of the city. At least, she would not bump into her mother accidentally. And then she remembered that her mother was an instructor, and therefore could simply and very easily walk in the center, and into her daughter.

"Bollocks!" she blurted out.

She turned on her omnitool and checked the list of instructors working in the center; her mother's name did not appear on the list. Raïzel sighed; Lea Crawford was posted in another center, given the fact that her flat was in Chiswick – unless she had moved out since 2177 – she was more likely to be posted in the other Alliance recruits center which was located near Twickenham. Raïzel relaxed, she would not walk into her mother after all. That fact was many big cities like London had more than just one recuits center was a blessing, Raïzel thought, who had been lucky enough not to end up in Twickenham.

During her time in the Alliance Formation center, she would regularly call someone at the Grissom Academy and ask about the development of the L4 implants, her commanding officer and many instructors would tell her almost everyday to "get that bloody implant ASAP". She waited for a very long time to get them, she passed through the formation class – which she finished with great scores and several commendations by the way, despite the missing implant – and even through the Officer Candidate training. She had been learning everything there was to know about the Alliance and the Navy during those three years, as well as what it meant to be a commanding officer, how to theoretically manage one's crew, one's ship and one's assignments. There had been many simulations of all sorts, and the training was coming to an end; graduation day would soon come and she would soon need to be implanted.

"I've got great news for you!" Caroline shouted from the communicator.

"Yeah?"

Caroline was now grinning, a grin of perfectly aligned teeth which Raïzel was so familiar with. "I received a call from professor Larson this morning, saying that the L4 implants are finally ready!"

"Really? Brilliant!" Raïzel was genuinely thrilled – and relieved – to hear it.

"Yup, they won't be available before next year though, but they are willing to make an exception for all the students who have been leaving the Academy without an implant for the past three years. Especially you, apparently." Caroline's smile widened and her mischievous eyes were twinkling. "Because 'you've always been one of his favorites' he said", she chuckled, air-quoting the words of the professor, and then laughed at the puzzled expression on Raïzel's face.

"Haha, that is so funny, Caroline. Or a nice try at least, but no one who knows professor Larson will believe you."

"Ah, yes, I know. Anyway, it's still true. You'll have the procedure scheduled as soon as you're able, just need to call Larson to book it with a surgeon. A surgeon of his choice, no doubt."

"Undoubtedly, yes. And how's life on the SSV Manilla?"

The two friends kept on chatting for a while until someone behind Caroline called her away. Raïzel herself had things to attend to anyway, such as calling professor Larson for the implant operation.

The procedure went smoothly, contrary to what she had anticipated, but the implant left an odd sensation at the back of her neck which proved difficult to get used to. But Raïzel would, in time. She was also quite struck at the difference with which her biotic powers would now display. They stabilized all right! They were a hell lot more precise! And somewhat more efficient too, not as much as she had expected, but professor Larson had assured her that it was because the implants did not actually increase the strength of the biotic abilities, but merely made them easier to use. And then, easier biotic abilities could be used more often, with more precision and help the biotic soldier save their strength. "The _appearance_ of greater strength from biotics who have been implanted is, in the end, only the effect caused by the newly-found ease of the bearer", Larson had explained to them back in the Grissom Academy. The new precision felt amazingly well, Raïzel now saw herself as a truly accomplished sentinel; she rediscovered how fun it was to detonate combinations of powers – biotic or tech, it didn't matter; she liked the power it provided, the strength which was steeping her whole body when she used her special abilities.

Her life had taken quite a good turn after the departure of her dad and the downfall of her mother, considering all that had happened. Everything had not been nice and easy, neither at the Grissom Academy nor at the Alliance recruits center, of course not, she had had to learn many things, how to put up with idiots of all kinds, how to bear hours and hours of exhausting training, and eventually how to ignore her own pain, and the _hunger_ – because no one feels hungry like a biotic. _No one_. She remembered nights when she would literally fall asleep on her bed, her stomach desperately empty, because she had not even had the remaining strength to get back up for dinner. And many kids at the Academy – or biotic recruits in the Alliance quarters – would do exactly the same. In fact, the part about being hungry worsened after she had arrived in London, probably because the people at the Grissom Academy knew precisely what they were dealing with and were prepared consequently, whereas the people in the Alliance centers definitely weren't. And who even came up with those menus? She had hoped that the food in the Alliance would not turn out to be as bad as she had heard, but it did. She had hoped again when she had entered the Officer Candidate school that the food standard would rise a bit, just a little bit. But again, it did not. Such a surprise! Raïzel put her hands on her belly, thinking of this; she was feeling hungry right now. She had some free time, which was rare, and decided to take advantage of it and have a nice cup of coffee (with a bit a milk, preferably no sugar) and a snack. Oh yes, that would be lovely.

It was April already, she had been back in London for almost three years and hadn't checked once on her mother. She wondered sometimes; was she still in their old flat, way up in that greyish tower in Chiswick? Was she still drinking? Raïzel did not really want to find out, too afraid to be disappointed still if her mother were indeed still drinking. She sighed. Perhaps, she _should_ go and find out. She most definitely should, but did not want to, she wasn't ready to confront her mother, not yet. She asked herself if she would ever be ready.

Summer soon came, and with it, graduation day. It was an agreeable day, the weather was mild for once, the sun was warm but the wind prevented it from getting too hot. The numerous satellites and debris floating in Earth's atmosphere had rendered the weather pretty hectic and violent about a century earlier, and as a result, it would change very often now, daily in certain regions, because the wind was constantly blowing forcefully. The rain would pour ever more violently, in a roar, and storms and hurricanes had become the normal bad weather. But it was summer, and for the moment the sky was showing no sign of storm. The graduation ceremony was being held outside, in the gardens of the Alliance Headquarters, which weren't big, but pretty enough. The decorations on the officers' uniforms were sparkling softly in the sunlight. The ceremony did not last long, quite fortunately, for those pompous assemblies always bored Raïzel to death. A few speeches were given, this and that, and Bob's your uncle, they could all relax now. Drinks were served afterwards, along with canapés, and then the people scattered, going back to their daily occupations. Raïzel walked back to the recruits' quarters, up to her tiny little room which she shared with two other future officers and would leave soon, once she received her first assignment. Her first assignment. She was eager to find out what it would be! Where would she go? Where would she be sent and what would she experience? She couldn't wait.

What Raïzel had not noticed is that her mother had been at the graduation, in the middle of the audience, wearing her decorations just like all the other officers who were present, with other parents and family members. Raïzel hadn't noticed, but she hadn't really looked either, she hadn't expected her mother to show up. But Lea had been there, feeling very proud and deeply sad as she stared at her daughter, who had turned into a beautiful young lady without her mother watching her grow up. Lea wanted nothing more than to talk to her daughter, however, after years of neglect and alcoholism, she did not dare. Raïzel would probably not accept her apologies, and Lea grew afraid, afraid that it was too late for any chance at reconciliation. She cried bitter tears that day.

It finally came. Her first assignment! Raïzel was so excited; not just about receiving it but about what it contained as well : she would report to Captain Hannah Shepard, on board the SSV Orizaba, which would be completed by the fall. A brand new ship! And a dreadnought at that! And Captain Shepard, mother of the most famous human soldier in the galaxy. Now, _that_ was some assignment!

Commander Shepard had disappeared about a year ago, and though she was still listed as MIA, many people said that she had died. But nobody knew what had happened exactly. There were rumours, obviously, and tons of them. Some said indeed that she had died, others that she had deserted, others (more likely) that she was on a secret mission for the Council... But nobody knew. It seemed strange that she should be on a mission, but without her ship or without her crew. Plus, there had been reports about the destruction of the Normandy, people died and those who did survive had been reassigned, scattered across the galaxy and refused outright to talk about what had happened. It had been a big blow to the Alliance, Shepard was the first human spectre and probably the best soldier there ever was; the survivor of Akuze, the savior of the Citadel. Amazing record. Raïzel had followed the ascension of Commander Shepard on the extranet, just like everybody else, and was just as amazed at the woman. Jane Shepard was not just an incredible soldier, she was a badass biotic and a great leader, she was elegant but not girly, and she had that deep yet feminine voice that made you want to follow her all the way to Hell and back. So what the fuck _had_ happened to her?

They could still hear Councilor Anderson's warnings about the 'Reapers' waiting patiently in 'dark space' for the right moment to invade all worlds in the galaxy, crushing them down as they would march. But his words were becoming whispers, stories like nightmares, and fewer people believed them. Raïzel herself doubted that such a race of sentient machines could really exist. It all seemed too surreal, grotesque even, like bad horror stories for children. She wondered what was Captain Shepard's opinion on this, though she might never hear it.

She was to report on the following day at 0800 sharp in the Alliance spaceport of Vancouver. Raïzel would need to book a ticket on a night flight right away in order to be there on time; she hadn't finished packing yet!

The starship was not officially complete, but the crew had already been assembled and most of them had started moving in. It took some time to load a ship this size with all the supplies she needed for her voyages, food and medical equipment were still to be determined, and the commanding officers needed that kind of list to be thoroughy detailed. But they still had a couple of months before the official date at which the Orizaba would need to take off, so there was still plenty of time to figure out the details.

Upon arriving, Raïzel presented herself to the Staff Lieutenant who was standing just by the side door of the ship.

"Operations Chief Crawford reporting for duty, sir." she said firmly.

"Let me see your credentials and your assignment note." he simply replied. "Alright, welcome aboard, Chief. I'm Staff Lieutenant Tony Sherman. From where do you hail, Crawford?" he then asked in a friendly manner.

"From London, sir."

"Explains the accent! Well, I'll let you settle in. Lieutenant Dubois here," he said as he grabbed the arm of the woman passing by, "will show you to the quarters."

"Right this way", replied the red-haired woman.

Raïzel followed her down to the crew quarters and unpacked quickly and asked Lieutenant Dubois the current situation of the ship.

"We're still loading her with the military equipment, food will come in last of course. We're expecting the delivery of a couple of shuttles and another couple of M35 Makos by the end of the week. What's your name by the way?"

"Raïzel, what's yours?"

"Lucie, nice to meet you. You're British, right? Took a night flight?" Lucie asked.

"Yeah, jetlag hasn't taken its toll yet. Where are you from?"

"France, took a night flight too. I got here about a week ago. Isn't it exciting? A brand new ship?" Lucie's whole face was smiling, from the mouth up to the eyes. She was obviously thrilled to be there.

"Yes! She's a smashing new ship!" Raïzel replied.

Lucie Dubois showed the ship to Raïzel while they were chatting, making quite the tour. She was huge, and smelt like novelty, you could just tell from that smell that she hadn't seen any action yet, anything at all. She gleamed from the inside out, she was beautiful, Raïzel thought, a beautiful new dreadnought, and she was part of the crew to first fly her. Raïzel's heart was beating hard, she was so excited about this!

"So," Lucie interrupted Raïzel's daydreaming, "our XO is Major Hisae Hanajima, our Chief Engineer is Sophie Beckerman, our Flight Lieutenant Juliet Johnson; they're all women! This ship is going to be run by women from top to bottom!"

"Really? Well, that's just brilliant. A ship run by women, people will _not_ comment on that, at all." Raïzel said ironically.

"Ha! That's going to be fun!" Lucie laughed.

And people did talk about the new dreadnought, commanded by women, by the end of the year, the Orizaba was already nicknamed the 'Matron Ship', when she hadn't even started her maiden voyage yet, that was just splendid, Raïzel thought, half-amused, half-annoyed.

There was an agreeable atmosphere prevailing aboard the ship, and Raïzel was surprised to have been able to become rather close with Lucie over such a short period of time. It would take some longer time to be as much at ease with the rest of the crew, but she already felt like they were good people, trustworthy people. For most of them, that is. Lieutenant Samuel Hopkins was another piece of work, she already considered him to be a bloody idiot, by her standards, and could barely stand talking to him, let alone listening to him or looking at him. You could tell, just by looking at his stupid face and the expression on it – or rather the lack of expression – that there was probably not much inside his head beside lemon-flavoured jelly. And as to how on Earth he had managed to be promoted Lieutenant puzzled her exceedingly. Huh. Raïzel winced in disgust. He was such a dope, and the worst about him was his boasting. Always bragging about some thing or other, all mouth and no trousers that man was, Raïzel thought; and she felt like kicking seven bells out of him every time he opened his bloody mouth, which was pretty much all the time. But since it was reprimandable, she would take in on the chin and try to ignore him as best as she could. Apart from that nuisance, the other crew members were fine. Tony Sherman seemed like a serious, solemn kind of man, did not talk much, and wasn't particularly warm, but neither was he cold, he did his job with care and dedication. Major Hanajima and Commander Earnshaw were intimidating, yet amazing. They seemed to be glowing with an internal aura, an aura of experience and focus, of determination, everything Raïzel dreamt to obtain one day. Obviously, the Captain was even more magnificent, Hannah Shepard had all of the above and added grace on top of it; she was inspriring, Raïzel thought.


End file.
